BENGALURU: Making an all out effort to woo Muslims back to Congress, party general secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday first blamed the BJP for communal politics, and then asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to constitute a cabinet committee to sort out issues concerning members of the community.
Mr Singh, who was invited by infrastructure minister R. Roshan Baig to interact with leaders of the community, used the opportunity to drive home the point that Congress was the only party which could protect their interests. “You should not forget the fact that the Congress has done much to the community till now irrespective of results of polls,” he added
His statements assume significance in the wake of Congress failing to support from members of the community in elections to the Legislative Assembly in New Delhi recently. Mr Singh asserted that a cabinet committee was the need of the hour in Karnataka to look into issues concerning Muslims.
“Muslims feel that they are not safe. Therefore, it is all the more important for Congress governments to take necessary steps to protect their Constitutional rights. It has become pertinent for the Chief Minister to head such a committee,” he added. Training his guns on BJP, Mr Singh alleged that the party was trying to distort the definition of secularism.
“I am assuring that our party will never desert you irrespective of your decision to vote for any other party. We are committed to the cause of Muslims, unlike other parties which shirk responsibilities after coming to power,” he added.
He said he had Muslim youth, particularly those who were innocent but were arrested by the police across the country. “In Belagavi case itself, I took pains to call the police commissioner to know why he had to arrest 25 youngsters belonging to your community.
“The police commissioner said whatever he had to say, but I did not believe him. Instead, I asked him not to book these boys under any serious sections like terrorism or treason. This is how the Congress functions,” he added.
